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Chapter 230
Estrella frowned as she looked up from her laptop. “What’s up?”
Jesse hesitated, sensing that she might have opened a can of worms by bringing up the topic. But Estrella was waiting for an answer, so Jesse had no choice but to spill the beans. “Jason got into a fight with Gay last night and shattered both Gay’s legs.”
Estrella’s expression darkened. Just moments ago, Jason was here and didn’t breathe a word about it.
Estrella’s brow furrowed, and Jesse complained, “It’s a bit late to do that, isn’t it?”
She then glanced at Isaac, “Isaac, what’s with you? Why aren’t you calling me ‘Dad’ anymore? Call me ‘Dad’, sweetie.”
Isaac shook his head at her, “It’s not Dad, it’s Jesse.”
Jesse’s patience wore thin, and she turned to Estrella, “What’s going on here? How come overnight this kid’s whole demeanor has changed?”
Estrella wasn’t pleased either, “Who knows what kind of trick Jason played on him. They spent some time together, and now the kid’s acting like Jason’s his new dad.”
Jesse let out a frustrated sigh, “Damn, seems like there’s no competing with blood ties.”
Estrella retorted, “What blood ties could Isaac possibly share with him? Isaac’s mine and
mine alone.”
Jesse nodded in agreement, “Of course, he’s all yours.”
Still, the inexplicable closeness between Isaac and Jason left Estrella feeling helpless. But with a mountain of work to get through, including helping Serene dig into a seven-year-old fire incident, Estrella had no time to dwell on Jason. She took advantage of Jesse entertaining Isaac, and got back to organizing her case files. She was determined to resolve the land and water pollution issue at Glimmering Lake, and to expose the complicit Galactic Enterprises, along with any higher-ups who had been covering for them.
It was going to be tough, no question about it.
Later that afternoon, not long after Jesse left with Isaac, Bryce showed up. Noticing Isaac wasn’t there, he seemed a bit down, “Has my boy gone home?”
Estrella replied, “Jesse just took him back.”
Now, Estrella had also grown accustomed to Bryce referring to Isaac as his son and Jesse treating Isaac like one.
08:38
As Estrella limped over to pour Bryce some water, he quickly stepped in to take the jug from her hands. They sat down on the couch with their water, and Bryce’s expression became somber.
Before Estrella could ask what was on his mind, Bryce spoke up, “I made a trip to the resort. All surveillance footage related to that fire from years ago has been wiped. I asked the manager, and got the brush-off-too much time has passed, and they don’t remember. They claimed it was just an electrical accident.
Bryce’s words hung in the air, and Estrella’s gaze sharpened, “An accident? Convenient how the surveillance is gone too. Too convenient if you ask me.”
Had the resort’s surveillance been intact, their excuse might have held some water. But as it stood, Estrella wasn’t buying it.
Bryce continued, “They said it was accidentally deleted by security.” He paused, then added, “Ella, this case might have more to it than meets the eye.”
Back then, the government chalked it up to an electrical fault, and without further suspicion-after all, even Jason couldn’t find the cause-it seemed likely to be an accident.
Revisiting the case now, Bryce could see it was full of holes.
Estrella probed, “When was the footage deleted? Did the resort give you a specific timeline?”
Bryce shook his head, “They played dumb, kept saying they didn’t know.”
Leaning back against the sofa, Estrella let out a slow breath, “It seems there’s something fishy about this. We’ll have to dig deeper.”
Bryce suggested, “I’ll talk to Jason, see if he looked into it back in the day, maybe he’ll have some leads.” NôvelDrama.Org content.
“That could work,” Estrella agreed.
After discussing the case and Isaac’s situation, Bryce received a work call and had to head back to the office.
In the days that followed, Jason dropped by twice a day, Kristin also came to visit several times, and both Serene and Holly made appearances. Since Estrella had made a deal with Serene, Serene hardly
mentioned Jason in front of her anymore, which was a relief for Estrella.
Holly remained her usual amiable self, getting along with everyone.
Estrella, who had suffered a minor fracture, was discharged from the hospital after a week once the swelling in her leg had gone down and the pain had lessened.
Logan insisted that, as she was injured in the line of duty, Keegan should be her driver,
00.00
taking her to and from the office every day.
Though she was advised to rest more, Estrella was reluctant to stay idle, and the office was swamped with cases, especially Estrella’s own high-profile ones. Reluctantly, they let her return to work, albeit with her injury.
That evening, after a long day, Estrella arrived home to find that Autumn had already put Isaac to bed.
As Estrella moved to head upstairs, Autumn stopped her, “Estrella, hold on a minute. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Estrella turned and settled back into the living room. The maid brought over a cup of lemonade, and with a grave tone, Autumn broached the subject, “Estrella, I’ve heard your current case is quite complex, is that right?” She was referring to the environmental pollution case involving Galactic Enterprises at the Glimmering Lake factory.
Estrella looked up with a smile, “Mom, since when have you taken an interest in my work?” Autumn replied, “Estrella, I’ve heard that case involves some high-ranking officials, and there’s a lot of pressure from the courts. They say the higher-ups are pushing for a quick resolution to close the case.”
Before Estrella could respond, Autumn continued, “You’ve just come back, and the case is so wide- ranging. Perhaps you could find an excuse to pass it on, or better yet, wrap it up quickly without digging any deeper.”
That afternoon, while getting facials with a few other ladies, Autumn had learned that the case reached far and wide. Even the judges and jurors responsible for the case were receiving threats. Just last night, a young juror narrowly escaped a hit-and-run. Fearing for her daughter’s safety, Autumn urged Estrella to step away from the case.
Listening to Autumn’s concerns, Estrella chuckled softly, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be fin
Even if Autumn didn’t voice her worries, Estrella was well aware of the recent buzz, understanding the complexity of the case she was handling. After all, the factory’s inspections and the annual regulatory approvals hinted at involvement from various official quarters.
Estrella had also caught wind of rumors suggesting that she was a fresh returnee looking to cement her position by clinging tenaciously to this case. Estrella didn’t take these whispers to heart, confident in her purpose and her actions.
The residents of Glimmering Lake were suffering; with pollution causing sickness, developmental issues in children, and even deformities, she couldn’t be swayed by gossip or dissuaded by pressure from the powers that be.
“You’re so stubborn, my child. Why won’t you ever listen to me just once?” Autumn pleaded, her anxiety evident.
08-28
The
orvold family did hold a certain prestige in Ravenwood and had their connections, but when it came to a showdown with the real heavyweights, they didn’t have the clout. All Autumn desired was a quiet life, free from turmoil and entanglements,